Much to my surprise, an invite came my way to taste test Fry’s Family Meat Free Curry Pies, along with a vegan beer. Now I am a fully fledged carnivore as any reader here will know, but always willing to try new things I grabbed a suitable on-hand vegan and headed off to the tasting in Holborn.
A small group of writers and tasters were assembled, and after a brief presentation on Fry’s we got to sample the newly launched Curry Pie. The actual pies we had were small ‘samples’ about the size of a mince pie, but it gave you a good idea as to what the real pie would be like. It was a bit disappointing that we didn’t get to taste the full size pie.
The pies had a nice flaky pastry, that looked good as well as tasting good. Inside was a good portion of curry ‘meat’ and sauce, full of real curry flavour. Although it was not meat (obviously) there were large chunks of what clearly looked like meat – and tasted like it. This pie was at least as good as a standard meat curry pie you would get from a chip shop or takeaway. Clearly only someone who has tasted the meat pies can make this observation!
The pies were served with an extremely fresh coleslaw and a bulga wheat medley that tasted superb in itself. Vegans really do know how to do good vegetables and dishes.
Fry’s discussed the positioning of their products and how they wanted to promote it to meat eaters, as they accepted that most vegans and vegetarians already understand the benefits of a meat free diet and will pro-actively source suitable products. Currently branded as ‘meat free’ there will be a move to using a ‘free from’ logo which is seem as less frightening to meat eaters. Whilst they do not expect people to stop eating meat, even if you went meat-free once a week it would meet their objectives, as well as probably being healthier for you.
The Fry’s Family Meat Free Curry Pies were washed down with the vegan Belgium Daas Witte Beer, which was a refreshing drink to go with a curry pie.
As mentioned earlier, the pies we had were samplers, but the Fry’s Family Meat Free Curry Pies packaging shows what the real pies will look like.
If you want the details, I have included the back of the box to show not just the ingredients, but the passion that Fry’s put into making their food.
Fry’s have a good range of products, all vegan and all ethically made. Check out their website for the details and some amazing food pictures.
Fry’s distribute their products through health food stores around the country, online and through 3663 who supply pubs, cafes, hotels, schools, care homes, leisure centers, hospitals etc. The challenge for them is not to get vegetarians and vegans to buy them, but to get carnivores like me. And sadly that is unlikely unless they can get their products distributed in the mainstream supermarkets where most people buy. However the current meat scandal in the UK is at least getting more people to investigate and try meat substitutes so I really do hope that Fry’s succeed in getting to new markets.
As I said before, the Fry’s Family Meat Free Curry Pie was better than many meat pies I have had, and I for one will look forward to having these again.
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